Method and apparatus for determining base station identity

Abstract

Methods for improving the time to acquire an identity of a base station by a mobile station, by relying on locally-unique attributes of the base stations instead of globally-unique attributes of the base stations, are presented. In some embodiments, data may be requested, the data may contain a globally unique attribute of a base station, a first locally unique attribute of the base station, and a second locally unique attribute of the base station. In some embodiments, data may be received in response to the request, the data may contain at least the first locally unique attribute and the second locally unique attribute. It may then be determined that the data did not contain the globally unique attribute, and an identity of the base station based at least in part on the first locally unique attribute and the second locally unique attribute may be acquired.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for improving time to acquire an identity of a base station by a mobile station, the method comprising:
 requesting data containing a globally unique attribute of the base station, a first locally unique attribute of the base station, and a second locally unique attribute of the base station;   receiving data in response to the request, the data containing at least the first locally unique attribute and the second locally unique attribute, wherein the first locally unique attribute is a midamble index present in a time slot of a subframe, the midamble index being present between two data payload portions within the time slot of the subframe;   determining that the data did not contain the globally unique attribute; and   acquiring the identity of the base station based at least in part on the first locally unique attribute and the second locally unique attribute.